'Very, very pink' tap water in Alberta town

Post by maxerickson » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 3:37 AM UTC

gpm wrote: post #12

refurb wrote: post #7

Not the end of the world. You can buy potassium permanganate tablets to purify drinking water.

What's the concentration of that vs the concentration here. Note that we also use chlorine to treat drinking water (e.g. on canoe trips), but you don't want to be drinking that unless it's very low concentration. A quick google search suggests that they are used to "improve water clarity" [0], so at a guess you don't use enough of it to turn the water pink. There's also the fact that they think it's concentrated enou…

Post by throwaway2048 » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 3:50 AM UTC

stagbeetle wrote: post #18

gpm wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the concentration of that vs the concentration here. Note that we also use chlorine to treat drinking water (e.g. on canoe trips), but you don't want to be drinking that unless it's very low concentration. A quick google search suggests that they are used to "improve water clarity" [0], so at a guess you don't use enough of it to turn the water pink. There's also the fact that they think it's concentrated enou…

I would not use livestrong as a source. If the pictures are true to the situation, the concentrations are tiny. You can look up videos of people putting less than a teaspoon into water to get the same result. IIRC, PP can be a precursor to chlorine. But, you're comparing two different chemicals here and what applies to one likely doesn't apply to another. There is a chance your skin will feel like it's burning if it'…

Post by stagbeetle » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 4:03 AM UTC

throwaway2048 wrote: post #23

stagbeetle wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would not use livestrong as a source. If the pictures are true to the situation, the concentrations are tiny. You can look up videos of people putting less than a teaspoon into water to get the same result. IIRC, PP can be a precursor to chlorine. But, you're comparing two different chemicals here and what applies to one likely doesn't apply to another. There is a chance your skin will feel like it's burning if it'…

>IIRC, PP can be a precursor to chlorine potassium permanganate does not contain chlorine

Post by theophrastus » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 4:13 AM UTC

enraged_camel wrote: post #24

personjerry wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure if you misunderstood the article. The article indicates that potassium permanganate is what caused the water to be pink. The commenter is explaining that potassium permanganate is harmless and usually used as a water purifier anyway. I have no idea how that can be interpreted as "Oh that's absolutely demonstrably awful, here's X to subsidize your life,"

>>The commenter is explaining that potassium permanganate is harmless and usually used as a water purifier anyway. Harmless at what level? Because even the most harmless chemical substance will become harmful at high enough doses.

Post by AstralStorm » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 4:17 AM UTC

wwer wrote: post #10

kafkaesq wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, right. Try living off water like that for a few months (or years). And then report back to us.

Already been done. Along with alum, tons of it used in India for decades to purify water. Various case studies that list benefits of it.